The poem foregrounds the most important message of the poet, of which he was a champion himself, freedom. The poem opens with a man seeking work, but desires to keep his freedom.
Walking on the stone paved ground, in the morning, he first meets the king. The king offered to buy the man’s labour with his power. The man, however, doesn’t find much worth in the king’s power and therefore refused to be hired.
Towards mid-day, having walked in the heat of the Sun, the man came across an old man. The old man carried a bag of money, he was very wealthy. He offered to buy the man’s labour with his money. The man wasn’t convinced to exchange his labours for money and moved on.
In the evening, as he was crossing the garden hedge, the man came across a fair maid. She offered to hire the man’s services with her smile. The man couldn’t find the lady’s smile worth either. The Lady’s smile became pale and melted into tears. She didn’t get the man’s company either.
Finally, the man reached the seashore. He saw a child playing with shells. The child made an offer too. His offer, though, was unique. He offered to buy the man’s services with nothing. The man was overwhelmed with this offer for he was still a free man. He quickly accepted the offer and the bargain was struck.